Metrolink crash memorial to be unveiled Thursday in Moorpark

A memorial plaque will be unveiled in Moorpark on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of a deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth.

Twenty-five people, including four from Moorpark and 17 from elsewhere in Ventura County, died Sept. 12, 2008, when a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train collided head-on. About 100 others were injured.

A 24-by-18-inch bronze plaque dedicated to the victims and embedded in a large rock will be unveiled at 4:40 p.m., the approximate time of the crash, at the Moorpark Metrolink station, 300 High St.

Investigators found the crash was caused by engineer Robert Sanchez, who was distracted while sending text messages and ran a red light. Sanchez died in the crash.